Craps is a traditional dice game played completely against the casino. Up to 24 people can play a traditional craps game at once, depending on the size of the table. Each dealer handles half the table, with people standing around the table. The stickman controls the bets made in the center of the table, and also uses a long stick to push the dice toward the shooter and to pull them in after each roll is made. The stickman also announces the number rolled. The boxman is the money-keeper and the "boss" of the table; he doles money out to the dealers so they can pay winnings, collects cash that people exchange for chips, and handles disputes between dealers and players. Dice pass to the right, clockwise, and change hands when a player sevens-out by control of the stickman.
Craps has the best odds for the player out of all the regular casino games. By comparison, in card games, the players have a chance of getting one of 52 cards on the first deal. Once the player pick the first cards, there are 51 other possibilities for the second card, 50 for the third and so on. By the time the player gets to the fifth card, the player has received one of 311,875,200 different combinations, most of which are losers in a card game. In craps, there are, for each dice, only 36 possible combinations. The combinations are 1,1; 1,2; 1,3; 1,4; . . . 6,1; 6,2; 6,3; 6,4; 6,5; and 6,6. Since there are fewer possibilities, the odds are lower and the chances of winning are higher. Each spot on the six-sided dice used in the game is worth one point. If the player rolls a seven or 11 on the first roll, the player wins automatically. If the player repeatedly rolls "7"s, the player will double his or her money each time, until a point is established. Out of all the combinations that could be rolled, there are only two that add up to 11 points, a five first and a six second, or a six first and a five second. Statistically, that is one-eighteenth of the possibilities. However, there are several combinations for seven. They are 6,1; 1,6; 5,2; 2,5; 4,3; and 3,4. That represents one-sixth of the possibilities. Combined, the player has approximately an 18 percent chance of winning on the first roll. If the player rolls a 2, 3 or 12 on the first try, he/she automatically loses. There is only one combination for 2--1,1-- and only one for 12--6,6. A three shows up with 1,2 and 2,1. Mathematically speaking, there is approximately a 12 percent chance of losing on the first roll. If any other point total shows up besides 1, 2, 7, 11 and 12, the player must roll the dice again and keep rolling them until he/she matches that point total or "craps out" by rolling a seven. But the player does not have to be rolling the dice to take part in the game. All around the table are lines and areas that show the odds being paid on several different things relating to the rolls, and where others can place bets.
The traditional craps table will hold between 12-24 players. The most common bet in craps is to put some money in front of the "pass line." The player may, for example, put $2 down and if a "7" or "11" comes up, the player has just doubled his or her money. The dealer will place his or her winnings on the side of his or her original bet and if the player does not pick it up before the next throw, it will become another bet. If a 4,5,6,8,9,10 is rolled, that number becomes the point number. The dealer will put the black marker on the appropriate number so the player will not forget what point number his or her pass line bet represents. If that point number comes up, the player wins even money. If a "7" comes up the player loses. The 2,3 or 12 only effects the roll before the point is made.
A player may also take "odds." As the player places odds, his or her advantage increases. The player makes this bet by putting his or her chips behind the pass line. The player may take "odds on his or her bet." For example, if the point came up "6" and the player had a $10 pass line bet, a 6 or 8 can be rolled five ways, the "odds" against a "6" is 6-5. The odds for the "4" or "10" is 2-1, "5" or "9" is 3-2 and the "6" or "8" is 6-5. These are the true odds. If the player wins his or her bet off the "pass line," the player will be paid even money. If the player had $10 "odds," that would pay the player an additional $12 because odds are paid at 6-5 in the case of the "6."
Every player has the right to shoot the dice when it is their turn. The shoot goes around the table in a clockwise fashion. When it is his or her turn, the player makes his or her line bet and selects two dice. The dice are thrown hard enough to reach the end of the table and hopefully bounce off the side. The player will continue to shoot until the player craps-out. The longer the shoot, the more money everyone makes.
There are, of course, variations on the traditional game of craps. For example, while craps is usually played with two dice, a three-dice variation and a special table has been described by Franklin in U.S. Pat. No. 5,413,351. Vancura, U.S. Pat. No. 5,513,85 describes a craps-type game in which four dice are rolled in some instances.
The present invention is based in part on the general rules for craps as outlined above; however, there are important advances and advantages in the dice game, table and system, described and claimed herein.